Who is going to actually play your game? Really?

I'm actually playing my games FTW

I figured I would go to the "Your Announcements" topics and play a few games to see how people are doing with their releases. I saw so many "0" comments. And as I looked through them, I saw that a lot of work perhaps went into them, but many haven't even gotten one comment here on gamedev.

I can name a few reasons why I won't play your game.

1)Your graphics suck (and if you don't have some other key attraction, and make it obvious, then I just won't click that link.

2) So, what is it about again?

3) A picture isn't worth a thousands words. A video would be better.

4) Isn't that just temple run with worse graphics?

5) Am I buying a game or making a down payment on a car?

6) So, what is it about again? Again?

7) Where is the game?

8) Blood and violence isn't a game. A game is a game.

9), 10), a big fat hen.

Thx for your motivating words, the community needs people like you....

Let's say it in other words (=> Chris Martin): We make games for people who actually like our games.

So, at least the game developer himself love his game and there are others who, even if not playing it, know how much work and blood was put into making a game and we respect other people work for it !

The popularity of a game depends only on one factor: hype, markting ($), press, business($) , something most developer are really bad at (including myself), still it might be a good game.

Found something funny, this

1)Your graphics suck (and if you don't have some other key attraction, and make it obvious, then I just won't click that link.

vs

I think everyone is a bit too obsessive over graphics where many might believe that a great game could not be made without stunning graphics.

from your post over here: http://www.gamedev.net/topic/656595-quantity-over-quality-in-a-game-when-it-comes-to-art-thoughts/#entry5155322

I generally wont even bother playing any games where the announcement post consists of a single short paragraph and a link to somewhere else. If the author isn't going to take the time to make me want to try their game, then I'm not going to take the time to try it.

Meh.

Instead, I suspect, that ironically, a game development board is probably not a good place to advertise a game. The average user is a programmer, probably busy with his own projects before being a gamer. Also if I am a looking for a game to play, I am certainly not going to pick a random advertisement blurb on any board. There's dedicated websites to find the stuff i like for me.

Slightly related: what's the difference between "indie projects" and "announcements" ?

I have only ever posted two games in your announcements. None of them have recieved any feedback or comments both however were very successful. One of them was done as a revenue share contract it took 6 months and the cut I got was not far off my full salary when I worked as a full time game dev. The other one was an experiment that I did that took me one Saturday afternoon using free resources from OpenGameArt and has had over 300,000 downloads and is still generating me add revenue over a year later.

I think the reason nobody comments on other peoples games is because on a game dev board they are vusy with their own games.

Yeah, ashamnan, Thomas was alone exposed the same prejudice in me that we all tend to have. Yet it has something else to make up for the graphics.

The inspiration of this thread was my brother telling me that my game is going to look sucky like everyone other solo indie game developer. I got offended, but motivated.

I realized, from the post you gave, and browsing the announced games that even my game is going to face the same prejudice. So, unless I have some good PR to make sure the game gets noticed the right way, people are going to look at its face and say it sucks.

I generally wont even bother playing any games where the announcement post consists of a single short paragraph and a link to somewhere else. If the author isn't going to take the time to make me want to try their game, then I'm not going to take the time to try it.

Yeah, that is my point. It made me realize, that if I don't have the presentation right, I might have a good game that people will never play, from prejudice or just bad presentation.

I think everyone is a bit too obsessive over graphics. Like myself for example.

Fix'd.

I think everyone is a bit too obsessive over graphics. Like myself for example.

Fix'd.

Nah, not at all actually. As I said, it is a prejudice we all carry, but I know a game doesn't need good graphics to be good. As was noted, it needs something other mechanic or feature to make up for it (as in good gameplay or something)

it is a prejudice we all carry

Could you please refrain yourself from taking your case as the general consensus, it varies from people to people.

Truly good gameplay or mechanics will trump shiny graphics all day of the week, well, as long as it's not a corridor shooter I guess. Also, it's not that hard to find half decent graphics free of charge (and even artists if the above condition is met) over the internet, at least in 2D.

The prejudice I am speaking of is judging a book by its cover. Not just graphics.

Have you ever judged something before really knowing about it?

The prejudice I am speaking of is judging a book by its cover. Not just graphics.

Not until now.

You moved your point from graphics in video games and why there's usually no replies in announcement to general philosophy without warning right here. It's quite a leap.

Have you ever judged something before really knowing about it?

Loaded question with only one valid answer.. I am knowledgeable enough in video games to know better than stopping at graphics. I am certainly not impervious to various forms of bias in subjects I know less. That's what you want me to say, right ? However, I tend to listen to people who know more about it than myself. New gamers hopefully do the same reading reviews.

How that invalidate my point that many gamers will overlook (or even don't care in general about) graphics and that your case isn't a generality, I don't know

Every now and then I try to think objectively about what it is that gets me to try a game (impulse is the best answer I've come up with). The alternative to the judging a book by its cover is judging from other people's opinion. Which doesn't really sound that much better but you do get a slightly more informed decision if it's from people you trust. I don't think that finding trusted people to look at your game and spread the word would be any easier. Why should they look at your game? Maybe if you make the cover pretty enough. Maybe if you pay them. Are they still trusted then?

Maybe there should be a marketing forum in with the business section where techniques are discussed or critiqued. Not a place to advertise your game but a place to ask about how to advertise your game. It'd likely have a lot of the same questions and answers over and over, but then how many times has the questions been asked about what language to pick or whether or not it's ok to copy some game's IP.

To say "your game looks like a game I wouldn't pay money for" is not just a graphics prejudice, as is to say that a game that looks like it was done in Microsoft paint means that it will NOT sell. It is a prejudice, and a typical way people judge things (which I acknowledge I do myself, though also acknowledging that a game really can't be judged by its face alone).

Things can look like bad games but be good games, as people can look like they are mean, but they really aren't. It is a simile.

If I am given no other good incentive for trying a game, chances are I won't. There are bunches and bunches of games out there to be played.

So as "most" people avoid a person who "looks" like they are having a bad day, so do I tend to avoid games whose graphics "look" bad, unless given some other incentive to explore further.

All in all, it is motivation for me at least to provide some incentive for people to want to play my game. Perhaps it sparks the curiosity? Perhaps the selling point would be the narration (as with the game "Thomas was Alone")

And I did just find a very interesting one in the announcements section called "Loved" by Alexander Ocias.

The incentive?

"The overseeing voice talks as if it owns you, and defies your free will. if you follow its orders, you are praised, and the worldview becomes sharper and more detailed. if you don’t, you are chastised, and the world becomes more vague and difficult to navigate, but also more colourful and loud. it’s odd, and sort of eerie, but definitely interesting. take it as you will." -- Random Player

Mostly good points, I think. On graphics -- its not an issue of whiz-bang, latest photo-realistic thing, but more about having a consistent aesthetic that's appropriate for the story tone and gameplay, and then executing that to a high degree of polish. If you can do that, then you avoid looking disinterested and lazy about your own damn game -- it puts the pride you take in your game and puts it on the outside for all to see.

Not everyone can make great art, and not everyone can attract an artist during development. That's fine, disclaim your programmer art in early demos. But I admit for myself that its hard to give a game a serious look when its ripped and combined sprites from various games, or ripped sprites and combined with their own, generally-lower quality ones, or when its obvious that the game has had two or more artists who never spoke, or the graphics are flat and boring. Basically, be interesting and don't remind me how out of place things look.

Graphics don't stand in for quality, but they lend texture that enhances your world.

Sound design and execution go the same way.

Can someone tell me how to properly record gameplay video? Fraps and camtasia doesnt work for me, even if I dont notice lag during the recording, the video quality will either be laggy or terrible anyway.

How do one record 100% 'legit' gameplay footage? Is it possible with a core 2 duo 1.53, nvidia gtx 280m 1GB ddr3? >_<, to me video of the gameplay its the most important too, but I think I dont have the resources to do it.

Mostly good points, I think. On graphics -- its not an issue of whiz-bang, latest photo-realistic thing, but more about having a consistent aesthetic that's appropriate for the story tone and gameplay, and then executing that to a high degree of polish. If you can do that, then you avoid looking disinterested and lazy about your own damn game -- it puts the pride you take in your game and puts it on the outside for all to see.

Not everyone can make great art, and not everyone can attract an artist during development. That's fine, disclaim your programmer art in early demos. But I admit for myself that its hard to give a game a serious look when its ripped and combined sprites from various games, or ripped sprites and combined with their own, generally-lower quality ones, or when its obvious that the game has had two or more artists who never spoke, or the graphics are flat and boring. Basically, be interesting and don't remind me how out of place things look.

Graphics don't stand in for quality, but they lend texture that enhances your world.

Sound design and execution go the same way.

100% agree.

Can someone tell me how to properly record gameplay video? Fraps and camtasia doesnt work for me, even if I dont notice lag during the recording, the video quality will either be laggy or terrible anyway.

There's also CamStudio, not very good but it can get the job done.

The quality depends on the codec you chose, or lack thereof. No (or very light) compression is recommended for quality, re-compress later on with something like virtualdub and the right codec.

And that lead to your second issue, your hard-disk may be too slow to keep up with the recorder. In some recorders (fraps does that iirc) you can reduce the number of frames per second it will record, that may help (30 or 25 is enough for video recording). And of course, no antivirus, defrag, or any 3rd party program that may interfere. Also no need to record the video in 1900 x something, reduce your resolution to something smaller (that fits in a youtube video).

Alternatively, if your CPU hit its limit (50% or 100% usage in your case), in that case the codec you used takes too much processing power, hence the lag.

Can someone tell me how to properly record gameplay video? Fraps and camtasia doesnt work for me, even if I dont notice lag during the recording, the video quality will either be laggy or terrible anyway.

How do one record 100% 'legit' gameplay footage? Is it possible with a core 2 duo 1.53, nvidia gtx 280m 1GB ddr3? >_<, to me video of the gameplay its the most important too, but I think I dont have the resources to

I can't speak if your system is up to snuff, there are alot of factors involved with real time video recording(codec, hdd speed, write back speed from gpu, etc.)

If your finding it difficult to record stuff on the same computer thats running it, try purchasing a recorder that goes between your machine and the monitor, this is how most people do console recording.